Does Toronto need ultratall towers?

Toronto leads the country in the construction of ultra-tall skyscrapers. Nine such towers are under development. But does this type of housing meet the needs of the population? The question divides.

The Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat defines an ultra-tall tower as a building 300 meters or more in height.

In Toronto, the tallest tower under construction is the Commerce Court 3, with a height of 376.6 meters, located at 25, rue King Ouest. The tallest tower currently under construction is the tower SkyTower, 346.7 meters and 105 stories, located at 1 Yonge Street.

Two other towers are also under construction, the towers Concord Sky at 385 Yonge Street and The One, at 1 Bloor Street West.

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Isaac Work, data coordinator at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, is excited about the plans.

Council is very excited to see this level of development in Toronto. The metropolis exceeds the majority of large cities in its construction of high-rise buildingshe says.

But the need to build ultra-tall towers in Toronto is not unanimous.

Lloyd Alter, a writer and former architect and real estate developer, sees no advantage in this.

According to him, buildings destroy the urban landscape of the spaces they occupy because of their large footprint and the wind that rushes past the buildings.

Some of the towers can also be expensive to build and operate due to the high cost of materials. Elevator waiting times are also long at times.

These ultra-tall towers create a great inconvenience says Mr. Alter.

For the man who is also a professor of interior architecture at Toronto Metropolitan University, affordability remains the biggest drawback of this type of housing.

He said some of the towers sell for $1,500 per square foot. It’s a price that few residents will be able to bear, according to him.

These are clearly accommodations reserved for very wealthy people, and they are probably second homes.

The need to increase the supply of housing

Anson Kwok is vice president of sales and marketing of Pinnacle International, the promoter of the tower Commerce Court 3.

Ultratall skyscrapers are, in his view, the new generation of buildings in Toronto.

It adds something unique to the city skyline. It’s excitinghe emphasizes.

Mr. Kwok also believes that the construction of ultra-tall towers is one of the best ways to increase the supply of housing in the city.

All forms of housing are equal, and people should be open to moving to different places, to different types of units.

He adds that the majority of ultratall towers in Toronto are close to public transit. This is how they take advantage of the infrastructure already in place.

For example, residents of the tower Commerce Court 3 will have access to the highway GardinerUnion Station and the airport Billy Bishop. They will also be able to walk to the financial district.

We’re trying to use all of these assets downtown to get people moving more easily.

Densify Toronto’s residential neighborhoods?

But for some Torontonians, the solution to the housing crisis is far from ultra-tall towers. According to Lloyd Alter, the key would be to change certain zoning regulations.

It refers to a yellow beltor the grouping of residential neighborhoods covering approximately three-quarters of the city’s surface area and in which severe restrictions on development are imposed.

Generally, in this area, it is not allowed to build anything other than single-family homes on large lots.

A regulation that Lloyd Alter deplores.

We need to change our zoning so we can build more housing where we can’t do it todayhe said, citing as an example the construction of four to eight storey buildings along Dundas and Saint Clair streets.

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Architect Mitchell May agrees. He recalls that many residents in these residential neighborhoods want to avoid the construction of this type of housing.

Toronto’s owners don’t want this to happen. This is why this has not yet happened. But these changes would allow more people to settle in these neighborhoods, which would become more active, more lively.

A diversified housing supply required

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Meanwhile, Kyle Knoeck, director of zoning for the City of Toronto’s planning division, maintains that the City needs a diverse range of housing options to meet the needs of its diverse population, including non-family households.

Ultra-tall skyscrapers are part of the urban fabric and have a role to play in the future of the city, just like mid-rise buildingshe said.

He points out that the city is already working to amend zoning regulations to allow a greater number of mid- and low-rise housing in residential neighborhoods, in particular by authorizing tiny backyard homes and garden pavilions. .

Ultratall towers do not necessarily reflect demand for affordable housing, but rather investor demand. Toronto must meet the demand for housing by also building rent-geared-to-income housing.

Moreover, the municipal council has just announced a new incentive program for this type of rental housing.